Thirty years ago, school and workplace shootings were few and far between. In the days before Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland, anyone could walk into a school. There were no metal detectors, no security desks, no transparent backpacks, no lockdown drills, no TSA. Schools were safe.
Today, we live in a country where we are allowed to buy guns. It is relatively easy to buy a gun, and very powerful ones at that. Background checks are not perfect, and frankly, you cannot protect people absolutely everywhere they go, every moment of the day.
How many of us would be able to defend ourselves if an assailant came into our home or workplace? It takes access to a weapon, knowledge how to operate it and it takes composure. There is an ongoing debate whether to arm teachers, to make that part of their professional training. How, then, is a teacher unskilled in shooting a gun supposed to disarm an assailant? There is a real need for a simple to use, effective, yet nonlethal weapon that is as easy as pressing a button.